NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Plains, MO
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of West Plains, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for West Plains
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Plains; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 17 miles away. The record near West Plains begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 10 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. West Plains has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 87% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 2, 1982; its path came within 1 mile, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 14, 2025, killed 3 people. Of the 77, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than West Plains. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 129 times since 1966, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). West Plains has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Plains
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in West Plains: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of West Plains
By decade
- 2020s5(4 EF3+)
- 2010s10
- 2000s23(2 EF3+)
- 1990s2
- 1980s10(3 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1982 | F4 | 1 mi | 20 mi | 2 / 28 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 3 mi | 35.52 mi | 3 / 4 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF3 | 1 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1984 | F3 | 20 mi | 26 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 15 mi | 23.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 12 mi | 57.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 21 mi | 12.42 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 12 mi | 2.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F3 | 25 mi | 35.4 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 8 mi | 43.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Mar 12, 1961 | F2 | 2 mi | 21.1 mi | 1 / 11 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Plains
The Storm Prediction Center has 129 hail reports within 10 miles of West Plains since 1966, made on 80 separate days. Of these, 82 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on March 29, 1985. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 46.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Plains
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is W Plains, MO, in West Plains at 1,105 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 22°F. April is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 49.5 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 45 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.5 inches is more than at 124 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (93%). Willow Springs, 20 miles north, has its own station (West Plains Municipal Airport, MO): 47.2 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 22 | 3.3 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 49 | 26 | 3.0 | 5 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 58 | 33 | 4.8 | 7 | 2.4 |
| Apr | 69 | 43 | 5.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 66 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 57 | 34 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 46 | 26 | 3.5 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 49.5 | 71 | 8.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at W Plains, MO (1,105 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near West Plains
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 188 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Plains: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 53 flash floods, 16 floods, 9 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $70.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 20, 1997. April has had the most flash floods, 26 of 53. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 272 have had fewer than West Plains.
April 4, 2025: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of West Plains — 2 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Several city streets in the City of West Plains were flooded, leading to two fatalities. The first fatality occurred as a car was swept off Porter Wagner into Howell Creek around 4:55 PM CST and the second swept off County Road 8230 into Mustion Creek around 5:16 PM CST.”
April 25, 2011: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of West Plains — 1 killed, $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Missouri Highway Patrol reported that a 65 year old man was swept off the road and drowned by a flooded creek near the the intersection of County Road 4740 and County Road 5130. This section of the road was not a low water crossing.”
April 29, 2017: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of West Plains — $60.0 million damage.
NWS: “Extreme flash floods hit the West Plains area. All roads in and out of West Plains were flooded and impassable.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in West Plains's ZIP code 65775 have filed 61 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring severe storms in 2017: 37 claims (61% of all) and $2.1 million. 72% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 172 Missouri cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 88 have fewer than West Plains.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring severe storms2017 | 37 | $2.1 million |
Howell County, which includes West Plains, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Howell County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $30.2 million a year, the 25th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.2 million (50%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near West Plains
- Willow Springs, MO20 mi
- Mountain View, MO21 mi
- Thayer, MO23 mi
- Salem, AR25 mi
- Mammoth Spring, AR26 mi
- Birch Tree, MO27 mi
- Alton, MO28 mi
- Cabool, MO31 mi
- Gainesville, MO32 mi
- Cherokee Village, AR34 mi
- Horseshoe Bend, AR35 mi
- Ash Flat, AR35 mi
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